Wednesday, March 28, 2012

by TEDtalksDirector on Mar 28, 2012http://www.ted.com Nobel Peace Prize winner Leymah Gbowee has two powerful stories to tell -- of her own life's transformation, and of the untapped potential of girls around the world. Can we transform the world by unlocking the greatness of girls?

Eating red meat — any amount and any type — appears to significantly increase the risk of premature death, according to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years.

For instance, adding just one 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat — picture a piece of steak no bigger than a deck of cards — to one's daily diet was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the course of the study.

FOR THE RECORD: Red meat: An article in the March 13 LATExtra section about a study linking red meat consumption to an increased risk of premature death said that preservatives like nitrates probably contributed to the danger. It should have included nitrites as well. —
Even worse, adding an extra daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon, was linked to a 20% higher risk of death during the study.
"Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk," said An Pan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study, published online Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Crunching data from thousands of questionnaires that asked people how frequently they ate a variety of foods, the researchers also discovered that replacing red meat with other foods seemed to reduce mortality risk for study participants.
Eating a serving of nuts instead of beef or pork was associated with a 19% lower risk of dying during the study. The team said choosing poultry or whole grains as a substitute was linked with a 14% reduction in mortality risk; low-fat dairy or legumes, 10%; and fish, 7%.

Previous studies had associated red meat consumption with diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which can be fatal.Scientists aren't sure exactly what makes red meat so dangerous, but the suspects include the iron and saturated fat in beef, pork and lamb, the nitrates used to preserve them, and the chemicals created by high-temperature cooking.

The Harvard researchers hypothesized that eating red meat would also be linked to an overall risk of death from any cause, Pan said. And the results suggest they were right: Among the 37,698 men and 83,644 women who were tracked, as meat consumption increased, so did mortality risk.
In separate analyses of processed and unprocessed meats, the group found that both types appear to hasten death. Pan said that at the outset, he and his colleagues had thought it likely that only processed meat posed a health danger.
Carol Koprowski, a professor of preventive medicine at USC's Keck School of Medicine who wasn't involved in the research, cautioned that it can be hard to draw specific conclusions from a study like this because there can be a lot of error in the way diet information is recorded in food frequency questionnaires, which ask subjects to remember past meals in sometimes grueling detail.
But Pan said the bottom line was that there was no amount of red meat that's good for you.
"If you want to eat red meat, eat the unprocessed products, and reduce it to two or three servings a week," he said. "That would have a huge impact on public health."

A majority of people in the study reported that they ate an average of at least one serving of meat per day.

Pan said that he eats one or two servings of red meat per week, and that he doesn't eat bacon or other processed meats.

Cancer researcher Lawrence H. Kushi of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland said that groups putting together dietary guidelines were likely to pay attention to the findings in the study.

"There's a pretty strong supposition that eating red meat is important — that it should be part of a healthful diet," said Kushi, who was not involved in the study. "These data basically demonstrate that the less you eat, the better."
UC San Francisco researcher and vegetarian diet advocate Dr. Dean Ornish said he gleaned a hopeful message from the study.
"Something as simple as a meatless Monday can help," he said. "Even small changes can make a difference."

Additionally, Ornish said, "What's good for you is also good for the planet."

In an editorial that accompanied the study, Ornish wrote that a plant-based diet could help cut annual healthcare costs from chronic diseases in the U.S., which exceed $1 trillion. Shrinking the livestock industry could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt the destruction of forests to create pastures, he wrote.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

My small town has passed a by-law allowing people to keep chickens within the city limits which is great , if you like fresh eggs. This design appears to be very timely given that this inner city farming trend is likely to persist.

"As a landscape architect, I was interested in bringing a new aesthetic into a the urban farmscape/landscape. With the backyard as a palette, and the chickens themselves as the ultimate clients, I wanted to create a coop that was attractive, functional, and exciting. I wanted to design a sculptural coop that could be the focal point of the yard. I strived to achieved that in this design, and hope that you and your hens enjoy the ChickenCrib as much as I have enjoyed designing and crafting it."

Fly high, Andreas Links

Urban ChickensThis website is a great clearninghouse of information regarding urban chickens. You can look up your city’s municipal code (limited availability), research the basics of chicken care, and learn about the basic types of coops.

Henderson’s Chicken Breed ChartThis chart will help you determine which breeds are best to suit your preferences for your flock. Also includes links for advice, forums, health and disease, and genetics.

The B.C. government has approved development of the controversial Jumbo Glacier Alpine Resort, the country's first year-round glacier-based ski resort.

The $1-billion development 57 kilometres west of Invermere, B.C., was first proposed — and cautiously endorsed by NDP Premier Mike Harcourt — in the early 1990s.

Since then, the project had passed all necessary regulatory and environmental hurdles, but stalled on final provincial approval.

On Tuesday morning, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson announced that final obstacle had been cleared and the ski resort was approved by the province.

"After more than 20 years of comprehensive and exhaustive reviews, it was time to make a decision. I approved Jumbo Glacier Resort's master development agreement after reviewing all of the relevant documentation, and meeting with both First Nations and the proponent," said Thomson in a statement.

The province says the project will attract $900 million in investment and create 750 permanent jobs.

2-year target

The resort will be located in the Purcell Mountains on an old sawmill site.

Once complete, it will feature up to 23 lifts, a 3,000-metre-high gondola and a ski village with more than 6,000 units. The resort will be comparable in size to Silver Star in Vernon, B.C. — or about 1/10th the size of Whistler Blackcomb.

The resort will be located on an old sawmill site in the Purcell Mountains. Once complete, it will feature up to 23 lifts, a 3,000-metre-high gondola and will be 1/10th the size of Whistler Blackcomb.(Jumbo Glacier Resort)

Oberto Oberti, the architect behind the proposal, hopes to have the first phase up and running within two years.
"The first phase of this project is not too different from the first phase of Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, which we constructed in one summer," he said.
"Things could be done faster but considering a lot of things, I think two years is a reasonable target."

Jumbo proposal controversial

P.O.V

The resort plan has divided residents in the Kootenays. A poll commissioned in 2008 found the project lacked public support, but proponents welcome the jobs and tourists the project will bring to the region.
Kootenay East MLA Bill Bennett, a longtime supporter of the Jumbo project, said he's relieved to see the provincial government finally make a decision.

"This project has, for over 20 years, divided Kootenay communities. I am grateful for a final decision," said Bennett in a written statement on Tuesday. "No matter which side of the debate you're on, the majority of folks in the East Kootenay will be relieved by the certainty."

Opposition to the news came quickly. Even before the official announcement was made, the NDP was highly critical of the decision.

"People in the Columbia Valley have been absolutely clear. They feel strongly that building a resort in this area does not make sense," said Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald in a statement released Tuesday morning.
"It doesn't make sense environmentally or economically, and putting the B.C. Liberal stamp of approval on it doesn't change a thing."

NDP Leader Adrian Dix believes approving the resort is the wrong choice.
"The government has made its decision presumably to try and gain political benefit but the economic, environmental and community interest is being abandoned here."

Environmental groups decry 'bad decision'

The Jumbo Glacier ski resort project in southeastern B.C. has been slammed by the NDP and First Nations critics.(CBC)

Environmental groups such as Wildsight have spoken out against the proposal from the beginning, and said they're disappointed by news Jumbo will go ahead.

“It is very unfortunate that the provincial government has ignored the overwhelming opposition to this project from the people in the Kootenays, the clear scientific argument against the development by North America's leading grizzly bear experts and the Ktunaxa Nation's spiritual values," said Wildsight executive director John Bergenske.

"It's a bad decision. It is not a done deal. The people of the Kootenays are not going to sit back and allow a destructive development that flies in the face of the environmental, social and economic values of our communities."

The B.C. government said Tuesday the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations will establish a wildlife management area to protect the Grizzly bear habitat.

Despite the province giving the Jumbo resort the green light, funding for the development still isn't in place. In February, a business delegation flew to France to pitch the project to possible investors.

Those investors are expected to make a trip back to B.C. to visit the Jumbo site in the months to come.

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About Me

Jennifer believes we live in the garden of Eden and I believe that we are destroying it. Our saving grace is within ourselves, our faith, and our mindfulness. We need to make a conscious effort to respect and preserve all life.